Loss and Gain
by Lady Psychic
Summary: [one shot, silentshipping] A terrible tragedy takes place! Serenity's brother is dead and Mokuba is in a coma.  Can Seto and Serenity cope?


_A/N: Well, it's time for another fic for the Yu-Gi-Oh Fanfiction Contest. This time the pairing is silentshipping (Seto/Serenity). I hope you all enjoy this! _

_Warnings: character death, dub names, one-shot, mild swearing _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters. _

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**Loss and Gain **

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A girl sat in front of her brother's grave with a small bouquet clutched in her hands. Tears flowed out of her eyes and dripped to the ground one by one. Her brother's friends stood next to her, each grieving in their own way. They tried their best to console her, but the truth was that the terrible tragedy had affected them all.

It was hard to believe that just two days ago Joey Wheeler was alive and well. Now, he was gone.

Thoughts whirled around in Serenity's head as she remembered the day her brother died. The two siblings had been hanging out with Yugi, Tea, and Tristen all day, and they were all about to leave the arcade. Because she was rarely able to see her brother and his friends, she was happy and excited. Overall, it had been a pleasant and enjoyable day.

Suddenly, they spotted the familiar figure of Mokuba Kaiba walking across a near by crosswalk. At the same time, a bright red car sped down the down road towards the unsuspecting boy. When he noticed the impending danger, Joey instinctually ran towards the boy before anyone could stop him.

"Watch out, kid!" yelled the blond teen as he approached the raven-haired boy. Mokuba looked around at the sound of the voice and froze as he saw the car barreling towards him. In a last ditch effort to save Mokuba, Joey leapt in front of the automobile's path and pushed the boy out of the way. The scene was quickly followed by a blinding flash of headlights, the screeching of tires, and the bone-chilling thump of the impact.

"Are you okay, Serenity?"

The girl turned towards the voice that interrupted her memory and saw Yugi standing next to her. "I think I will be," she answered. "I just can't believe he's gone! Joey…" Tears filled her eyes and flowed down her cheeks. Yugi tried his best to comfort her, yet he couldn't help but to burst into tears himself.

Meanwhile, in a room at Domino Hospital, Seto Kaiba was sitting in a chair next to the bed that his brother laid in. Though he seemed somewhat emotionless on the outside, it was nothing more than a mask to cover up his true feelings. The doctors had assured him that Mokuba had only suffered a bump on the head, a few scrapes and bruises, and some cuts from debris, but that did nothing to satisfy the inner turmoil that was brewing in the deepest parts of Seto's mind.

After all, Mokuba had been in a coma ever since the accident two days ago.

As he took his laptop out of his briefcase, Seto continued to be plagued by memories of that accident. Two days ago, the two brothers had been traveling home from a business meeting when their limo suddenly broke down. While they were waiting for someone to arrive to repair their limo, Mokuba spotted Yugi and his group of friends on the other side of the street. Since Seto didn't feel like confronting Yugi or the others at the time, he decided to let Mokuba to go off on his own. However, he quickly regretted that decision when he heard the screeching of car breaks, and he turned his head to see that horrific sight.

'Maybe I should have gone with Mokuba that day,' he thought, but he immediately shook his head. 'No, there is no use thinking on what could or should have happened. What's done is done, and nothing can change that fact.'

To take his mind off of the accident and Mokuba's condition, Seto began working from his laptop. He never took his eyes off the screen, even as doctors and nurses came in and out of the room. Hours upon hours passed by as he drowned himself in work.

Later that evening, the elder Kaiba brother heard a group of steps enter the room. At first, he thought nothing of it until he heard a familiar voice ask, "Kaiba, Is Mokuba okay?" Seto didn't bother to turn around for he already knew who it was.

"I take it that the funeral is over," he replied in a monotone voice. The awkward silence seemed to answer the statement. Only the sounds of keyboard strokes and the beeping of the medical machines were heard in the room.

After a few minutes, Yugi finally spoke. "We just wanted to see how Mokuba was doing. We also wanted to know how you were doing, too."

"As you can see," replied Seto, "Mokuba is still in a comma. The doctors are unsure why he is still in that condition, but other than that he has suffered only minor injuries. As for myself, I am currently working; so, I would appreciate it if you would leave me alone."

"Bastard, how can you work at a time like this?!" shouted Tristen. "You should have been there to pay your respects today! After all, Joey died to save your brother's life!"

Suddenly, the sound of typing stopped and Seto turned around to face the others. "You all have my condolences for your loss," he said in a monotone voice. "Perhaps I shall pay my respects later when I find some time." Then, he turned back to his laptop and started typing again.

Tristen let out a growl and was about to lunge at Kaiba, but Yugi and Tea managed to restrain him. "Please don't fight, Tristen," pleaded Serenity. "I know Kaiba was being mean, but I think he's just worried about his brother."

Before Tristen could reply, Yugi added, "Serenity is right. Now is not the time to be fighting. Anyways, maybe we should leave Kaiba alone for now and come again another time." Tea agreed and dragged Tristen out of the room before he could try to start a fight with Kaiba. Yugi started to follow them out, but he stopped when he noticed that Serenity wasn't coming.

"Actually, I think I'll stay here a little longer," she said as she looked at Yugi's inquiring face.

"Are you sure you will be okay by yourself?" asked the spiky-haired boy.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine and I won't be completely alone," the girl replied as she looked to where Seto and Mokuba were at. "I just feel like I should be here." Satisfied with the answer, Yugi said his goodbyes and left the room.

Typing the entire time, Seto only paused a few brief seconds when noticed someone pull up a chair and sit next to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the girl that he vaguely recognized as Joey Wheeler's sister was the one sitting near by. He simply gave a snort and resumed typing.

A few minutes later, Seto stopped typing again and turned his head towards the girl. "Why are you still here?" he asked with scowl. "I don't need your pity or comfort."

"I know," Serenity replied, "but I feel like I need to be here. Anyways, I'll try to be quiet so I won't bother you." Seto snorted at that remark but said nothing more. Instead, they silently sat side by side in the hospital room for several hours until Serenity finally decided to leave.

During the next couple of days, Serenity went to the hospital after visiting her brother's grave with Yugi, Tea, and Tristen. She wasn't quite sure why she felt the need to stay with the Kaiba brothers. After all, she didn't know Mokuba all that well and her brother had told her terrible things about the elder Kaiba. Maybe it was the fact that Joey sacrificed his life to save Mokuba. Or perhaps it was because Serenity felt some sort of kinship with Kaiba since they both had brothers that they cared about and that cared about them. However, the difference between her and Kaiba was that even with Joey gone she still had her mother; yet, Kaiba had no one else besides his brother.

In any case, Serenity came into hospital room sat next to Kaiba near Mokuba's bed. They didn't talk much and just simply sat in silence together. Serenity considered starting a conversation several times, but she figured that Kaiba wasn't really in the mood. So, she quietly watched over Mokuba as she listened to the constant strokes of the laptop's keyboard.

Meanwhile, Seto was growing used to the girl's visits. There had been several times early on that the young CEO considered telling the girl to leave and never come back, but she mostly left him alone and he ultimately decided to let her stay. After all, the girl wasn't bothering anything and there wasn't any real reason to make her leave. There was even a small part deep within Seto that had begun to appreciate the girl's companionship. Of course, he would never admit it out loud.

However, Seto was becoming more and more concerned about his brother's condition. Although Mokuba's vitals had remained stable, the long haired boy still had not woken up. Even Serenity was worried about the amount of time that the boy's coma was lasting. However, there was nothing that either of them could do except to watch, wait, and hope.

Eventually, a week had passed by and Serenity's stay at Domino was coming to an end. Tomorrow, she would have to take a train back to the city where she lived with her mother. So, she made her way to the cemetery that morning to say goodbye to her brother one last time.

When Joey's gave came into view, Serenity saw that she wasn't the only one there. Normally this wouldn't be unusual since Yugi, Tea, or Tristen would often visit the grave as well. However, the figure Serenity saw this time was neither of them, but was in fact none other than Seto Kaiba.

"What are you doing here, Mr. Kaiba?"

Seto turned at the sound of the voice and saw the girl looking at him. After a few seconds, he replied, "I've decided it was time to pay my respects." With those words, Kaiba placed a single rose on the grave. Serenity then walked up next to Kaiba and placed her own rose near Kaiba's.

For several minutes they stood together in front of the grave. Eventually, Kaiba turned to leave, but he was stopped when Serenity's hand grabbed his own. He turned to look into her pleading eyes as she asked, "Can I walk with you to the hospital today?" At first, Kaiba was caught off guard by the sudden question, but he soon muttered the word "Fine" and motioned the girl to follow him.

"I'm leaving tomorrow, so today is the last day I can visit," said Serenity as soon as they entered the hospital room. "I'm not sure if I'll ever come back now that Joey's gone."

She looked at Kaiba to see if he had any reaction at all to her words, but he muttered, "I see" and sat down near Mokuba's bed. Serenity was slightly disappointed with the other's reaction, yet she still sat next to her companion. They sat in silence for a while, until Serenity finally got up the nerve to speak.

"I'm worried about Mokuba," she murmured. "Do you think he will ever wake up?"

"I hope so," replied Kaiba as he looked his brother's comatose form. Then, he felt Serenity gently hold his hand, and she whispered into his ear, "I hope so, too." For several hours they sat together and held each others hands until it grew dark outside. When she noticed how late it was, Serenity quietly rose from her seat and said, "Well, I guess I have to go." However, as she began to leave the room, a small voice broke the silence.

"Seto?"

"Mokuba?!" the elder Kaiba brother exclaimed as he jumped out his seat and went to his brother's side. Serenity had also turned around and ran towards the boy's bed.

"Seto, what happened?" asked Mokuba as he opened his eyes. Then, he noticed Serenity near by. "What's Joey's sister doing here? What's going on?"

Seto glanced at Serenity then glanced back at his brother. "She came to see you," he replied. "I will tell you more later, but should rest for now, Mokuba." At that, a small smile graced Seto's face and at that moment, Serenity couldn't help but smile too.

The next morning, Serenity said her goodbyes to Yugi, Tea, and Tristen at the train station. When she was about to board, however, she thought she caught a glimpse of Seto Kaiba in the distance. At first, she thought it might be her imagination, but when she saw him a second time she realized he really was there.

Although she had lost her brother, Serenity couldn't help but feel that she had gained something as well. 'Perhaps I might come back to Domino one day,' she thought. Not only would she visit her brother's grave and her brother's friends, but maybe she would visit a certain CEO as well.

**The End **


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